History What Ever Happened to..........?

That’s a cool story! Thanks for sharing. I loved George’s Merc when I first saw it at the Hangin’ Dice in Ft Smith. I recall talking with him for quite a while about it and I just thought it was so cool and out of the box. I’d still drive the wheels off it today if it was in my garage.

 

No no, no one talked with him, he talked to you. Strange thing is George told me how his Dad passed away, and George went the same, in seemingly good health and gone quickly. I truly regret not spending more time with him and learning more than I did. He was the type when ya visited he quit and started talking, so I tried not to bug him too much. It's a bit of a mystery to me now how he was able to accomplish all that he did, there was no planishing hammers, English wheels etc. He made a fireplace poker for us and put my wife's name on it as a joke because everytime he came over she was tending the fire, we heated solely with wood, and so did he (hey, I cut, split, stacked and carried it in!). The poker looked like it was made in a blacksmith forge, but he had no forge. I recall seeing the top of the merc before the lead, it was a bunch of triangles torch welded together. I recall him showing me all the stainless steel window trim he was cutting and rewelding and how he wouldn't cut corners because the windows worked as they should, vent wings and all.

We lived out in the middle of nowhere in a small wooded hamlet like with a good distance between. I never understood really why George was living there. He lived alone and it seemed all of his family and friends were 200 miles north, had no real connection to anyone in Ky except us neighbors. I think his philosophy was as long as he had a good shop to work in, where he lived didn't matter. I'm like that myself.

Ron

 

People today just can`t understand how cool his car was so cool back then. I guess you just had to George.

 

I seen that interior ''back then'', still didn't do anything for me. it's a matter of personal taste. If we all liked the same thing, would be a boring hobby.

Like myself, I'm only interested in early Stanhope style steam carriages. Weird, I know.

Ron

 

Thanks Jim for posting the pics., I've always liked this Merc. It was just too kool seeing it at the Hangin Dice show in Fort Smith Arkansas. The interior was just over the top and like the idea using couch material. When you were driving it around I bet you felt right at home...

 

Kinda like my car : right.

 

Yes sir............

 

Talked to the guy from Chilla cothie Missouri. He was in Salina for the Leadsleds. His boy had the 54 4-dr Silver Chevy with all the 60`s style flames. He said the guy in Trenton still has the 59 2-dr hardtop as I mentioned above. His had a fire with his 59 Convertible. He sold that to buy a 32 Ford.

 

Nice contact Jim. You sure do dig up facts talking to people at these shows. I guess I miss a lot! Too bad the '59 was sold to get a '32. Oops, I guess my bias for customs is popping up again (lol)!
Here's a pic I took of the wild flamed '54 Chevy more door at the 40th. E

 

The one Micky posted on the Kustom Blues thread shows the guy and his son standing by this car. I was parked two cars over from this pic above. His son with the 54 is from Auburn Nebraska, I am working on a car from Auburn right now. Small world. I`m crappy with names. The guy is 75 and just got done beating cancer. He lost over 100 pounds. He used to race an altered back in the early 60`s. It was built in 61. He just bought one that was built in 59. Because he could.

 

What Ever Happened To..........? number 273.

1940 Mercury "Sweeter Than Wine"
Owner: Bob Johnson
Council Bluffs, Iowa

This week's custom is one that I'm sure everyone has seen or heard something about on the HAMB at one time or another. This car managed to garner quite a bit of fame, even though it was a homebuilt car by a guy that most people never heard of. It had all the great custom tricks done to it and was a rolling textbook of what a 40s custom should be.
Bob Johnson was a true custom builder and owner, and was big in the KKOA scene for many years. Bob was one of very few that I've been able to verify was at the first KKOA Leadsled Spectacular in Wichita back in 1981. Finding cars that were there before 1983 has always been a challenge as I've yet to find any video or many pictures of the show from the first two years (1981 and 1982). I saw Bob's '40 on many of my videos, but not as many as you might think. However, this doesn't mean Bob wasn't there. He may have been there in the '40 and the video camera missed him, or, he might have been there in the incredible '50 Merc that he also owned. The '50 has proven to be much more elusive than his '40 as pictures, video and information on it have proven to be tough to come across. But enough about his '50. For tonight we are concentrating on the beautiful '40 lovingly named "Sweeter Than Wine".
My first picture tonight was originally posted by @akustom57 that he took himself as a youngster when he was at the first Leadsled Spectacular back in '81. I love this shot as it really shows the "ghost" scallops on the car that rarely came through in photographs.



My next picture is one that @lurker mick took "hisself" at the Wichita Spectacular that is one of my all time favorite photos. In this iconic shot are four customs that gathered together to create one great custom moment in time. I hope I identify these cars right. If not, I hope Mick will clarify it for us. Starting on the left is the '41 Ford of Larry Purcell of Colorado Springs, next is Mick with his bitchin' '40 Merc, then Bob in his '40, and last but certainly not least is Lee Pratt (@El Pratt) in his timeless '41 Buick. Such a great shot that screams customs!



The next picture tonight is from Jim Stanley's (@stanlow69) extensive collection of photos that he took personally at all the Spectaculars that he attended over the years, many as a young kid. Jim mentioned that he took this shot at the '82 show in Des Moines, and is the only proof I have that the car was there in '82.



My first KKOA video is from 1983, which according to Doug "Rowdie" Reed (@49toad) was the first year he did videos for the KKOA. In this video Doug had his camera set up along the road where cars came into the fairgrounds, or cruised the "loop" where all the cars were sitting. With the help of his gals, Rowdie managed to get some great shots and interviews of many of the iconic customs we've covered on this thread over the last handful of years. My first two stills taken from the '83 video are as Bob is cruising up the street before he stopped to talk to Rowdie's gal.





This shot is pretty dark, but you can make out Bob and his wife sitting in the car being interviewed by Rowdie's gal. She is just out of the shot and can't be seen. I tried to get a better shot while the interview was taking place, but this is the best one I managed to take.



Here is a close-up shot of the name "Sweeter Than Wine" that was on the rear quarters. It was just past the doors and a little below the belt line of the car.



The last two pictures I have of the '40 at the '83 show are from Rowdie walking around filming the cars as they sat in the 'grounds. Here is a rare shot of the rear of the car with the trunk open. Note the awesome '41 Studebaker taillights that have been frenched in and turned sideways.



Here is a close-up of Bob's personalized license plate and his Kustoms of America drag plaque.



I didn't see Bob's '40 on the '84 or '85 video, but someone may chime in saying the car was there. Again, Bob may have been there in the '50. 1984 was a good year for Bob as his '40 was featured in Street Rodder magazine in June. Here is a scan that Jim posted on the HAMB a while ago. This car is very photogenic. Such a looker!



Mr. Johnson made the trek from Council Bluff, Iowa in 1986 to Springfield, Missouri for the show. My first picture of Bob's car from '86 was a still shot from John Tretten's (@PasoJohn) '86 Leadsled video. This is the first time I noticed the car wasn't running skirts.



The next two photos were taken by John Tretten and were on Rikster's site. I'm guessing these were also taken in '86 as the background looks similar to the background in the video still photo. Also, the car doesn't have skirts on it. I'm sure John can clear this up if my guess is wrong.



In this shot, we get a rare look at the beautiful small block Chevy in Bob's car. Top to bottom, front to back, this car was a knockout!



Bob's '40 wasn't on the '87 video, so more speculation as to if he was there and in what car. However, Mr. Johnson did make the drive to Fort Smith, Arkansas for the 1987 Hangin' Dice show. The next few shots are courtesy of @drdave, and are also from Rikster's amazing website.



This next shot is a good one. It is another rare rear shot. Notice how the blue pinstriping around the taillights jumps off of the paint. The Process Blue One Shot was an unusual color to use, but it really worked!



In 1988 Bob attended the show in Holland, Michigan. It was briefly on the video, but I managed to get a few shots. No changes that I could see, and the skirts were still off.







The last time I saw Bob's car on a video was '89. For '89 Bob didn't have to leave Iowa for the show, but it was still a good drive from Council Bluffs to Davenport. Just under 300 miles. It was another brief filming, with no changes from '88. The pictures and angles were almost identical so I'm not going to post them. This is one car where there was no shortage of pictures.
After '89 I really don't know what happened. I remember reading somewhere that Mr. Johnson passed away but I can't recall the date. I seem to remember it being in the early 90s. Jim may be able to help out more on the details of Mr. Johnson. As far as the '40, I don't recall hearing what happened to it. Again, I think Jim can help here as this car was a true Iowa icon and a custom that many others have been measured against for years. I'm sure we'll hear some great stories and see more great pics on this one. We all owe Bob a debt of gratitude for keeping the custom faith, and giving us a few excellent examples of great customs built the way customs should be!
Whew, it has been a fast two weeks! Seems like the trip was upon us and here we are two weeks later and it's all a memory! It was a great show, although the general attendance seemed down. Maybe it was the weather, or people still leery of the "goop" that's still floating around, who knows. At any rate, it was still nice to catch up with many members of the custom family that were there. We had a great time hanging out with Bill (@54delray), Mick (@straykatkustoms ), Roger (@40StudeDude ) and Dan Jetter, @Sancho, and Jim (@stanlow69 ) just to name a few. Those of you that couldn't make it, we missed ya'. Maybe next year huh?
I talked to a few of the guys at the show and told them about how I feel that the thread has been suffering lately. I mentioned that I'm running out of cars and content, and I'm having trouble pumping out a car a week due to the extended time I'm spending on research. I mentioned maybe it was time to wrap this thread up soon and everyone I talked to disagreed. Everyone I talked to said we need to keep it going. I listened to some great suggestions, and after thinking about it I've decided to change things up just a little bit. As much as I hate to do it, I'm going to go to an every other Tuesday format instead of once a week. In the beginning it was much easier with all the "low hanging fruit", but it has become much harder since the customs have become more obscure and are requiring more research time. I really hope this is ok with everyone and y'all stick around. I'll still be doing our Tuesday evening write-ups, just not every week. I'll keep it going, but be forewarned, we are running out of customs to feature that had enough history to do a complete feature on. It may come to the point where I just post a picture and say something like "Anyone know anything about this one?" as there may not be any information on the car at all. But that is a ways down the road. So for now, I'll be here every other Tuesday, and I hope you will be too!
Have a great evening everyone, and I'll see you on the 17th! E

 

Great history, I actually remember the Street Rodder article. Every other week is just fine, I can even adjust to once-a-month, Please keep these snapshots of history coming.

Russ

 

This is the first time I saw the car, (see pic) in about 80. At a small show in Omaha Nebraska. One of the first Customs I ever saw. It appeared on the cover of Classic and Custom with his other Merc. I saw these two Mercs together all the time until about 83. These 2 Merc are on my top 10 Customs of all time. As Ed said, more on the 50 later. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 75. That might ? of been his wife riding shotgun. More to come later. Sweater Than Wine is one of my favorite songs.

 

Just from the comments posted so far you can tell that Bob's '40 made a big impact on the custom car scene. I would love to see this car in person someday. Hopefully it hasn't been modernized and changed. Now that would be a real shame!
Thanks for the input everyone, especially you Jim (@stanlow69). This one is for you! E

 

Appears to be in Richard Munz's collection of magazine cars.

"Twice a year, Richard V. Munz of Madison, Wis., opens the doors of his RVM Classics hot rod collection to fellow hobbyists. The event raises a few donations for “Dick’s” favorite childrens’ charity: American Family Children’s Hospital (AFCH). It also gives his fellow hobbyists the opportunity to view an outstanding hot rod collection highlighted by a group of Fords which have appeared on the covers and inside pages of hot rod magazines over the years."



1940 Mercury convertible Built in the late 1980s by Bob Johnson of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Carson top. Appeared in many magazines.

Link: https://www.hotrodhotline.com/uncovered-magazine-cover-cars-collection#.YQqn1I5KjmE

 

Man, I hope the car is still around in the same configuration. I remember still how excited I was to see it in Ft Smith....a real, live magazine car right here at a show in Arkansas. That was my first trip to the Hangin Dice show....and of course many more magazine car sightings yet to come in the years ahead there.

Ed, I sure appreciate all the effort you put into this thread, continually working to bring us cool cars to ponder, many of which I have never seen. I agree with those said no way to wrapping it up....even if it has come to a point to thin it down a bit as material becomes harder to find. I'm even good with the lone snapshot to two of "seen this one?" I look forward every week to seeing what you find.

 

Well dadgum! I guess I should have hit refresh before I posted as I've been working on my post all morning between patients on a particularly crazy day, so missed that Sancho posted his find of it's whereabouts. So excited to see it's still around just as it should be. Great find Sancho! Glad to see you on the case!

 

I understand having to go bi-weekly. Can’t imagine the work you put into this. Hell im still trying to get my introduction done! Just want you to know that there are lurkers out there that really enjoy your efforts. Thank you.

 

The photo`s that John Trenton took are from the Des Moines show in 82. That weekend Bob lost a skirt and it got ran over by a truck. Here it appeared in a painting by Ed Newton. . I think ?

 

Ed, your head is so full of Kustom information, it's hard to remember we actually talked about Bob's 40 Merc in the Kustom blues thread, waaaaaay back on page 152-154. Munz Collection and all. That's OK, though. I never tire of this car. I want to be the guy that wins a ton of money and buys a bunch of iconic kustom cars.

I appreciate all that you do for this thread!!

I was away from the HAMB for a while (2010-2013) due to poor (dial-up) internet that would take forever to load pictures. @stanlow69 got me back on here when he told me about this very thread. He says, "You gotta check it out". Within a week or two, I was able to contribute with some info on John Gullett's maroon shoebox that I shot at BTT50's in 2013. Been following it ever since.

 

Here`s the last pic I took of his car. It was at the Rod and Custom Americruise in Lincoln Nebraska in about 90 or 91 or so. A guy came up and commented on his Merc and he really liked it. He hadn`t seen one with a Carson top for a long while. We talked a bit.

In the 90`s, Street Rodder did a feature on Richard`s collection in Wisconsin. There was Bob`s Merc. I talked to Bob a few years later. He told me, Richard would call him every 6 months wanting to buy his Merc. He finally gave in. Richard was at Americruise in Lincoln that year with his Neal East 32 Ford Roadster. I think he was the guy I was talking to.

Garage magazine has done a few articles on Richard`s collection as well. Bob`s Merc had appeared in each one. Roy Brizio has built a number of cars for him over the years. Thanks for the Link Sancho.

 

Man, you guys have been busy today! Thanks for all the support from everyone about going to an every-other-week format. I hope that you guys still enjoy it as much from here on in.

Great to see @Sancho back on here. Your input is always a great addition to our discussions. Thanks Bill!
I'm so glad to see the car still looks like it did back in the 80s!

More great information as always Jim (@stanlow69). I knew you'd have plenty to add on this iconic custom.

Nice to have a lurker pop in and comment. Thanks for following the thread @WalkerMD. I hope there are tons more lurkers out there that will eventually chime in and say hello. E

Ok Doc (@drdave), where the heck were you this year? Mitch was all geared up to see your Chevy in person with that new pretty six cylinder. We really missed you man! We are still kicking the idea around of going to Lead Ain't Dead, but if we don't make it, we hope to see you in Kansas next year! E

 

This is from the 82 show. Best Paint.

 

LOL, unfortunately, Salina wasn't in the cards for me this year. Missed being there. It's just as well, just now getting the final shake down on the Chevy and getting some miles on it. I think we pretty much have it all dialed in now, though, and will have it at Lead Ain't Dead as well as the Gathering at the Roc, also in Bartlesville, in Oct.

 

Vol 3 No 1,1983. Leadsledder. KKOA`s newsletter. Never noticed the location of the add until years later. Its Bob`s Business. Not sure when he sold it. When driving by, you always looked for a cool car their. Dad got his lake pipes their. It`s still in operation.

 

You know that's an old ad. Man, look at the prices on the lake pipes. Those were the days! E

 

Thanks Ed for all you do to dig up this kool Kustom history. The "Sweater than Wine" feature was one of my favorite ones. So many Kustoms that were at the first Spectacular changed my perspective towards kustoms. This was one of them. A chopped top Mercury, the Carson top, the purrfect scallop layout and needless to say the Brandy Wine paint. One of these days I'll have a Candy Brandy wine paint job on a kustom. May end up being on a model. Lol!

 

UPDATE on the Ralph & Jeff's 58 Impala. It's time to start on the car. Jeff is vacationing in Florida. WE communicated and he is planning a side trip to Palm Harbor ( where I live - near Tampa) to see the car and share ideas about the updated look. I've been buying and storing parts since I got the car - for my vision. Meeting with Jeff will be very COOL.....to be continued, Ken